Content
Planting and caring for rhododendrons in the Urals is possible when choosing a suitable variety and high-quality shelter for the winter. When choosing a variety, it is important to take into account not only its frost resistance, but also the flowering time. For cultivation in the Urals, varieties that bloom in April are not very suitable. Also, deciduous rhododendrons are better winter hardiness than evergreen species.
How to grow rhododendrons in the Urals
Rhododendron in the Urals is grown for the high decorative qualities of the shrub. But the culture has its own characteristics: a small annual increase, demanding for the care and participation of the gardener throughout the year.
For abundant flowering of a rhododendron in the Urals, it is necessary to choose a suitable place, stock up on an acidic substrate, carry out leveled watering and feeding.
An important condition for growing ornamental shrubs in the Urals is its shelter for the winter: both from frost and from the drying effects of wind and sun. The biological feature of rhododendron is that next year's flower buds form at the end of the current season. If the buds are not preserved in the winter, there will be no flowering in the new season.
Rhododendron varieties for the Urals
Rhododendrons are divided into evergreen, semi-deciduous and deciduous. Frost-resistant rhododendrons for the Urals are distinguished by increased acclimatization to cold climates.
Grandiflorum - one of the old varieties created on the basis of the Katevbin rhododendron. Refers to evergreen species. The bush is highly branched, it grows sprawling and high - up to 4 m. One of the most beautifully flowering shrubs. The flowers are lilac, with bright orange blotches on the upper petal. The flowers grow 6-7 cm in diameter, collected in inflorescences of 13-15 pcs. The stamens are long and curved. The flowers have no scent. Grandiflorum is dissolved in June. Withstands frosts down to -32 ° C.
Japanese - unpretentious highly decorative shrub. Forms a dense, branched bush, up to 1.8 m high. Japanese rhododendron belongs to deciduous shrubs. It blooms for a month from the end of spring, at the same time leaves bloom on the bush. The flowers have a pleasant aroma. They grow large - about 8 cm in diameter, 7-10 pieces are collected in the inflorescence. They are available in various shades of orange, red and beige-yellow. Flowering begins after 3-4 years of cultivation.
Light series rhododendrons - American selection of some of the most frost-resistant rhododendrons. Withstand frosts down to -40 ° C. The shrub is deciduous, grows up to 150 cm high, 130-150 cm wide. The crown is dense, spreading in most varieties. The branches grow straight. The leaves are wide, ovate or oblong, large. Depending on the variety, shiny, leathery or slightly pubescent.
In summer, the leaves have an olive green hue, which is replaced by burgundy by autumn. Flowering begins in late spring. The shades of the varieties are varied:
- white, white-yellow;
- light pink, pink;
- salmon;
- tangerine.
The flowers are simple or semi-double, 5-6 cm in diameter.Inflorescences are spherical, combine 10-15 flowers.
Helsinki University - an evergreen rhododendron belonging to the Finnish selection. Forms a spherical crown, 1-1.5 m high. Flowering begins in mid-June and lasts 2-3 weeks. The flowers have a pale pink tint with an orange core and maroon blotches. The size of the flowers in diameter is 7-8 cm, collected in inflorescences of 12-15 pcs. The variety is extremely frost-resistant, withstands temperature drops down to -39 ° C.
Roseum Elegance Is an evergreen shrub developed in England. The bush grows spreading up to 3 m in height and 3.5 m in width, forms a rounded crown shape. Leaves are leathery, glossy, in the form of an elongated oval of medium size. Young leaves when blooming have a red-brown tint, turning into green as they grow. The flowers are deep pink with a reddish-brown spot. The shape of the flower is broadly funnel-shaped with a wave along the edge. Inflorescences are compact, combine 15 flowers. Flowering begins in early June. There is no aroma. Withstands frosts down to -32 ° С.
Planting rhododendron in the Urals
In the photo of rhododendrons in the Urals, you can see that when planted in a suitable place and proper care, ornamental shrubs become long-livers of the garden. They can grow in a permanent place for over 30 years. Some types of rhododendron are grown in large containers and transferred in the winter, indoors.
In the open field, rhododendrons in the Urals are planted in diffused shade or in a place where they are illuminated by the sun for only a few hours a day. Some varieties of flowers fade and fade in the bright sun. Deciduous species require more sunlight than evergreens.
Landing dates
Planting of rhododendron in the Urals is carried out in the spring, but before the plant begins to awaken. It is permissible to plant seedlings with a closed root system at any time of the warm season, excluding the moment of flowering and several weeks after it.
Landing site preparation
The place for growing rhododendron in the Urals is chosen carefully. It is necessary to take into account the size of the bush in adulthood, the requirement of the variety for shading and the proximity of crops. Do not plant rhododendron next to trees with the same shallow root system. Large trees will take on a lot of nutrition and moisture, they can grow inside the root system of the rhododendron, damaging it.
At the planting site, the soil must have an acidic reaction. In another reaction, the soil layer is changed to a suitable one. It is most favorable to grow ornamental shrubs in groups with crops similar in demand to soil acidity. In coniferous corners, rhododendrons are combined with thujas, junipers, hosts. The distance between individual species is maintained at 0.7-1 m.
Landing rules
In the photo and video about the care and planting of rhododendrons in the Urals, you can see that they do not differ from agricultural technology in other regions. The root system of the rhododendron is superficial and grows more in width than in depth, so the planting pit is made spacious, but shallow.
A place for growing in the Urals must conduct moisture well, be free of stagnation. Therefore, a drainage layer, 20 cm high, is poured at the bottom of the pit. White broken brick is not used as drainage because of its unsuitable composition. Better to use pebbles or expanded clay.
On clay soils, you should first check the drainage by pouring water into the pit. Due to the poor conductivity of the clay soil, a well may form in the planting pit for water to drain from the site. If, when testing drainage, the water does not leave for a long time, the planting site must be raised or a drainage pipe must be drawn to drain excess moisture.
The acidic substrate is obtained from coniferous litter or high moor peat, mixing it with garden soil removed from the planting pit.The seedling is lowered vertically, the root collar is not deepened. The planting is spilled abundantly with water.
After the substrate has settled, it is poured so that the root collar is 2 cm above the general soil level. After planting, the soil is immediately mulched with pine bark, slightly retreating from the center of tillering. During the season, mulch is poured several times so that the protective layer remains 7-10 cm high.
Rhododendron care in the Urals
Caring for rhododendron in the Urals consists in watering, fertilizing, mulching the soil. The root system of the shrub is close to the soil surface, so techniques such as loosening and digging are not used. Weeding is carried out by hand without the use of garden tools.
Watering and feeding
For rhododendrons in the Urals, soil and air moisture is more important than for other plants. The acidic substrate in which plants are planted tends to dry out quickly. Therefore, it is necessary to ensure that the soil always remains moderately moist and there is no stagnation of water at the roots. To increase the humidity of the air, the shrub is sprayed over the crown.
Plants are watered only with soft heated water; rain or river water is suitable for this. To soften and acidify, several handfuls of high-moor peat are added to the water the day before watering.
It is best to feed rhododendrons in the Urals with liquid fertilizers. To do this, use specialized feeding for rhododendrons or flowering plants. Complex mineral fertilizers are also suitable. Manure and ash are not used for feeding rhododendrons.
Pruning
Pruning of ornamental shrubs in the Urals is minimal. Shoots grow slowly and form a crown on their own. In the spring, they carry out sanitary pruning, removing dry or broken branches. On shoots with a diameter of more than 1 cm, the sections are treated with disinfectants.
A feature of rhododendrons in the Urals is that the intensity of flowering in one year is replaced by the appearance of a few flowers in another. To eliminate this frequency, it is necessary to break out the faded inflorescences. So, the plant has more strength to form flower buds of the next year.
Protection against diseases and pests
Rhododendrons in the Urals are most often subject to fungal diseases, chlorosis, leaf spot and rust. Diseases appear due to disturbances in care, insufficient acidity and aeration of the soil. To prevent the occurrence of diseases in the spring and autumn in the Urals, the bush is sprayed with Bordeaux liquid. For chlorosis, irrigation with iron chelate is used.
Rhododendrons in the Urals infect such pests as:
- mealybugs;
- scabbards;
- rhododendra flies.
Insecticides are used against them. To get rid of spider mites, bedbugs and weevils, acaricides are used. Slugs and snails are removed by hand.
How to cover a rhododendron for the winter in the Urals
Evergreen rhododendrons in the Urals do not shed their leaves for the winter. A feature of the species is that the leaves continue to evaporate moisture even in winter, and the root system, being in the frozen ground, cannot supply the plant with water. To provide the plant with moisture, in the fall, before frost, the shrub is watered abundantly, sprayed over the crown. With the onset of subzero temperatures in the Urals, the leaves of evergreen rhododendrons soften and curl. Thus, the plant protects against moisture loss.
Rhododendron in the Urals does not tolerate moisture stagnation near the root system. Excess water accumulates when the snow melts in spring. Therefore, in the fall, near the bush, a groove is made in advance for the outflow of water. In this case, it is important not to damage the root system.
Before preparing a rhododendron for winter in the Urals, its root system is protected by mulching.To do this, it is best to use rotted pine needles mixed with peat. For young plants, a layer of mulch is poured 5-10 cm high, for adult bushes - about 20 cm.
Frost-resistant rhododendrons in the Urals must be sheltered for the winter not so much from frost as from cold winds and sunburn in late spring. For this, even for adult overgrown shrubs, air-dry shelters are built. A frame is made over the bush, which, depending on the size, can be made of metal arcs or boards knocked down in the form of a hut. A breathable material, for example, burlap or lutrasil, is thrown over the frame. The shelter of the rhododendron for the winter in the Urals begins with the onset of frost around -10 ° C. With an earlier shelter, the plant may rot inside.
If evergreen rhododendrons in the Urals were not covered, the snow mass can break off branches or buds, so the snow from the crown must be shaken off periodically. From drying winds and sunlight, screens are placed or plants are planted where they will not be exposed to weather influences.
In the spring, the shelter is removed gradually so that the early awakening plant is not damaged by recurrent frosts. But they also make sure that it is not excessively hot in the shelter, otherwise the flower buds may fall off.
If the leaves of an evergreen rhododendron in the Urals after winter do not take on the elasticity usual for the warm season and do not straighten, this means that they have severely dried out. In this case, it is necessary to start intensive watering and spraying with warm water. The root zone is freed from snow as soon as possible so that the soil begins to warm up. Frozen branches are cut to healthy tissue.
Reproduction of rhododendrons in the Urals
Reproduction of rhododendron in the Urals is possible in a generative and vegetative way. Seed propagation is one of the longest. The seeds are sown in planting containers in a soil suitable for heather crops. Crops are covered with foil or glass, placed for germination in a bright place. Seedlings after sowing appear within a month, at this time they are moistened as necessary, ventilated, and condensate is removed.
When a pair of leaves appears, the seedlings are seated more spaciously. When transplanting, they are buried to the cotyledons so that the root system begins to develop. In the first year, seedlings are grown in a cool, light room. The next year, they are planted on the beds for growing. Rhododendron, planted from seed, begins to bloom at 6-8 years.
One of the most common and natural method of vegetative propagation for rhododendron is considered to be layering. To do this, in the spring, a well-bending lateral shoot is pressed to the ground. Strengthen it in a previously prepared ditch 15 cm deep. The shoot is placed so that its top remains above the ground surface. From above, the shoot is covered with soil suitable for rhododendron.
Throughout the season, the allotted shoot is watered together with the main bush. In autumn, self-formed plants are separated from the mother bush and planted separately.
Conclusion
Planting and caring for rhododendrons in the Urals is possible with the right choice of winter-hardy varieties. Shelter of rhododendrons for the winter is not difficult, therefore, the cultivation of a flowering shrub is also available in regions with a cold climate.
